Granite School District Police responded to West Kearns Elementary School after receiving reports that a student had a gun

KUTV

(CBS/AP) KEARNS, Utah - School officials say a Utah sixth-grader who hinted that he wanted to be able to defend himself if there were a shooting like the one in Connecticut, was taken into custody after allegedly bringing a gun to West Kearns Elementary School on Monday.

Granite School District spokesman Ben Horsley tells The Salt Lake Tribune the 11-year-old boy hinted that he brought the gun to defend himself if there were a shooting similar to one last week in Newtown, Conn.

Horsley says two classmates reported the gun to a teacher about 45 minutes before school let out. District officials say the teacher "immediately apprehended the student," and Granite District Police responded shortly after.

An unloaded gun and ammunition were reportedly found in the boy's backpack.

Some witnesses have reported the student pointed a gun at another child's head, but Horsley says police haven't confirmed those accounts.

It is not clear how the 11-year-old boy got the gun, but KUTV reports that the boy may face criminal charges for allegedly threatening classmates with the .22 caliber handgun.